The Toronto Maple Leafs (14-11-4) had another great win in December. They’re 3-0-1 to start the month, and they showed their might tonight, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning (16-11-2) 2-0. Morgan Rielly had a beautiful goal in the first, and Auston Matthews converted on an empty-netter in the third, but the star of the show was goaltender Dennis Hildeby, who notched his first shutout in net.
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The Maple Leafs now have 32 points on the season, just one point behind the Montreal Canadiens (15-10-3) for the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning, meanwhile, stay put at 34, missing out on a chance to extend their lead in the division.
Game Recap
The first period started off with more shots from the Lightning, but the Maple Leafs cashed in early. Defenseman Morgan Rielly showed great hands on the rush, pushing one past Tampa Bay netminder Jonas Johansson for a highlight-reel goal. By the end of the first, Toronto was up 1-0.
The second period didn’t feature any goals by both teams, although Tampa Bay had some great chances. In the third, things started off chippy. Three minutes in, a knee-on-knee hit by Gage Goncalves on Dakota Mermis caused Dakota Joshua and Max Crozier to drop the gloves. All three of them would receive five-minute penalties: Goncalves for kneeing, and Joshua and Crozier for fighting. After review, Toronto winger Bobby McCann received a game misconduct for high-sticking Goncalves in the head.
Neither team gained any offensive momentum from that, but the Lightning nearly cashed in with an extra man due to an empty net. At 19:05 Brayden Point had a shot right in front, but it rang off the post. Right before the buzzer, at 19:59, Auston Matthews scored on the empty-netter to seal the 2-0 win.
Tampa Bay netminder Jonah Johansson stopped 22 of 23 shots for a .957 save percentage, but Toronto goalie Dennis Hildeby was legendary, stopping all 29 shots that came his way. The Lightning had 24 penalty minutes, which doubled the Maple Leafs’ 12. Neither team capitalized on the power play, with Toronto going 0-for-2 on the man advantage.
The Maple Leafs continue their homestead against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7:00 p.m., the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Dec. 16, before traveling to face the Washington Capitals on Thursday, Dec. 18.
The Lightning still have to face the Montreal Canadiens (Tuesday, Dec. 9), New Jersey Devils (Thursday, Dec. 11), and New York Islanders (Saturday, Dec. 13) before heading back home on Saturday, Dec. 15, to play the Florida Panthers.
Three Stars
- Dennis Hildeby (29 saves, 1.000 SV%)
- Morgan Rielly (1 goal, plus-1 plus/minus)
- Jonas Johansson (22 saves, .957 SV%)
